Five uncommon [and free] ways to find inspiration and discover fresh content.
27,000,000 pieces of content are shared each day (*AOL & Nielsen)
Content bombards us in one form or another from the time we get up in the morning until we go to bed at night.
My typical day starts at 5 a.m. First thing I make a huge pot of coffee, then start checking the latest streams on my social platforms, always keeping an eye out for fresh content ideas and inspiration.
Like many content seekers, I rely heavily on online sources that are familiar, like Post Planner, Mashable, Social Media Examiner, and so many more. Heaven knows we need these reliable and valuable sources!
But, when I want to break away from the familiar and everyday sources, I step away from the online world to get my creative juices flowing. Here are five ways guaranteed to ignite some creative sparks!
Commercial Magazines
Magazines spend millions of dollars marketing consumers, which means YOU have access to highly paid marketing professionals at your fingertips. Take advantage of their marketing knowledge!
Start with the cover, notice font types, how text varies in size and color. Browse the table of contents as well as the advertising pages. Look at their CTAs (Call to Action) and questions they are asking their readers.
Just the other day, I was browsing Better Homes and Gardens and found oodles of inspirational ideas, concepts that would work well for my business in the Social Sphere.
“Junk” Mail
Read your junk mail. Yep, junk mail can be an excellent source of insight and information (especially at the local level). Brands pack a lot of punch into one small piece of information–a combination of art and science carefully crafted to target a particular audience. Before you pitch that real estate ad or restaurant flyer, look at it through the eyes of a content seeker. You may be surprised what you find!
TV Commercials
Pay attention to TV commercials. Brands spend billions of dollars to promote products and services in 30-60 seconds. How are they spinning their message? Look for one word or image that jumps out and captures your interest. Odds are if YOU thought “WOW” other viewers had the same excited reaction! How can your business translate that WOW factor into a similar concept that will capture the readers attention?
Free Industry Magazines
Free Industry Magazines (snail mail OR online version) contain an enormous amount of material. I’m talking about the free quarterly magazines that come from places you shop or have a membership. For example, Wegmans, AARP, and AAA publish monthly and quarterly magazines.
If you target a niche audience, this type of free content is invaluable! Look at the headlines and sub-topics? How are they enticing you to turn the page with just a few short words or phrases? You’ll be amazed how you can parlay a food or service industry concept into an idea that fits your content model. Don’t forget to look at HOW they delivered the message with text, color, and fonts–visual delivery methods are key!
Down The Rabbit Hole
Some of the best pieces of inspiration come from yes, going down the rabbit hole; Infographics top the list. Next time you come across an interesting Infographic look at the resources used to populate the information (usually at the bottom of the graphic.) If the company sharing the Infographic did not create an image, check the name or URL for who did and follow the resource listings!
The key element to these 5 unusual ways to find inspiration is to view content like a consumer AND through the eyes of a content seeker. Ask yourself, how can I translate that concept, be it a word, an image, text placement, or color scheme into something exciting in my business!
Bonus Ideas
I asked my Facebook readers how they found inspiration when short on creativity. Here’s what they had to say!
Question: When creativity takes a nap, what is your favorite out-of-the-box way to discover content?
“Reading AND (or) MUSIC!” Brooke B Squared Media
“I take a break from the computer and go for a walk with my dog in our local wood.” Andy, Andy Colwell Social Media
“I unplug and go outside. Nature and weather get my creative juices flowing.” Teri, Taking Care of Business
“This may seem strange, but I find my inspiration from working through technical snafus and issues. The AHA moment when I finally solve it encourages me to “journal” about it on my blog because I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one who has struggled with the issue” Michelle, Codefetti
“I do the same as Andy and Teri which is to shut down and go outside for a nice long hike with the dogs even if we’ve already done one that morning. I generally come home with notes on my iPhone.” Patricia, The Aspen Stand
Over to you! Where do you find inspiration when creativity is taking a nap?
I can relate to many of these sources of inspiration. When you work on creating content online, you tend to forget (and end up admiring) printed sources. I find the magazines attached to the Sunday paper valuable 🙂
Thank you for pointing out other details that could also be used, like sources for Infographics. That’s cool!
Loving your articles Nancy, thanks again for sharing your thoughts with us.
Veronica, great idea using the Sunday paper as a source of content inspiration! I agree, we tend to forget that everyday sources of information can be awesome content opportunities, probably the consumer in us 🙂 Glad to hear the infographic tip was helpful. Thanks so much for popping over and weighing in on the article!
What an awesome article with awesome ideas for inspiration. You just never know where (or when) you’ll find your muse. The timing is great for me, too – I have a lot of writing to do over the next couple of weeks! Thanks for sharing these tips! 🙂
Jenn, pull out the magazines and pull up those Infographics and start browsing 🙂 You’re right, you just never know where or when you’ll find your muse. Look forward to reading your latest and greatest articles!
I really enjoyed this post, Nancy! You’ve listed some excellent suggestions to help ignite creativity. I think a lot of us forget about traditional content such as books and magazines. But reading a good old-fashioned novel or churning through the pages of a magazine help me consume content at a more leisurely pace than scanning the Twitter stream or my Facebook news feed. And that process of slowing down helps me to be more open-minded and see the world from a fresh perspective. Which, of course, is very conducive to discovering new content!
Yes, Yes, and Yes Michelle! What a difference it makes when you are relaxed and reading for fun, AND find great content! I’ve become a magazine Cover fanatic, absorbing all the graphic techniques, so helpful. 🙂 Thank you for contributing your content inspiration in the post!
Of course! I really like those types of posts and enjoyed reading what others had to say 🙂
Thanks for sharing these ideas Nancy. I need to pay more attention to magazines and I will now check my junk mail more closely. I spend so much time online that I often bypass obvious material in my hands.
Super excited you discovered new ways to look at everyday content sources! And, because of your idea in the article, I’ve started using the recording feature on my IPhone to record ideas–brilliant! Appreciate your contribution to the post!
Great tips Nancy. Thanks for sharing them 🙂
Glad you enjoyed the post, Andy. Thank you for contributing to the article!
Great ideas, Nancy. I got a lot of inspiration from Entrepreneur magazine, in particular, because it focused on my target market – small business owners and entrepreneurs. I’m glad to know someone else digs through what may on the surface appear to be unrelated magazine and sources to find topics of interest. 🙂
After attending an event last month where Kevin Harrington of As Seen on TV did a presentation, I also now look at Informercials in a different light because there can be many take-aways. Thank you for sharing.
Yvonne, you captured the article topic perfectly “what may on the surface appear to be unrelated” sources! I never thought of watching an infomercial as a source of content; marketers would be packing a lot of info into a short amount of time. Thank you for sharing your ideas and inspirations for discovering content!